Inspired by Regionals, Christmas & CrossFit

The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Reebok.

Friday marks my one year anniversary of being a CrossFitter. It’s been one year since I started learning the strength of my own body and mind. A year of pushing myself for just one more rep during a workout, then one more, has improved all aspects of my life. Things I never dreamed of doing a year ago are now possible. Climbing ropes. Handstand push ups. Pull ups. CrossFit is a special type of fitness that proves that you can do whatever you put your mind to, all while having fun and becoming a part of a true community.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the Reebok CrossFit Games Northeast Regional, held at Reebok’s Headquarters in Canton, MA. I had planned on attending to cheer on my coach, Keidy Toomey, but was absolutely thrilled to be invited by Reebok to preview their new Reebok CrossFit Nano 4 and meet some of their Reebok-sponsored athletes.

As a CrossFit addict, it’s an understatement to tell you that the weekend was amazing. Reebok sent me this cute outfit to wear, including a new color combo of the Nano 3.o’s to add to my growing collection of Nano’s (these shoes are perfect for any type of cross-training though, not just CrossFit).

I met with four other FitFluential bloggers in the beginning of the day and we had a blast watching the team events and checking out the hot new Reebok gear, including a GIANT Nano 4. Being the CrossFit bloggers we are, we promptly “cleaned” the shoe and pressed it overhead for a photo-op. The Nano 4’s will be “officially” released in July*, so we were only able to check them out on some of the Reebok athlete’s feet but from the looks of them, I know I will be adding them to my extensive Nano collection (my CrossFit/Spartan shoes are now outnumbering all of my “normal” footwear). *It turns out that I missed a limited release of them for sale on Sunday, darn it. Looks like I’ll be ordering a pair online!

The absolute thrill of my day was meeting the incredibly sweet Reebok athlete Christmas Abbott. Christmas has been one of my favorite CrossFitters since my first months of CrossFit when I used to watch YouTube videos of her and other athletes so I could learn the movements in the next day’s WOD. She’s the type of girl that you imagine you would become friends with right away. Turns out, I was right! We were fortunate enough to wear some of hergreat Reebok tanks she designed and spend a half hour chatting with her in the Reebok Headquarters. Hearing her story about how she started CrossFit was inspirational and heart-warming.

Christmas told us how she found herself on the “wrong side of the tracks,” living a destructive lifestyle as a teenager after she was in a bad car accident with her sister. Things started to turn around for her when she took an opportunity to work in an Iraq war zone as a civilian contractor at 22-years-old and quickly realized that her current lifestyle was going to kill her. She knew that she wasn’t fulfilling her purpose in life so she had an epiphany and stopped abusing her body, quit smoking cold-turkey and eventually started doing CrossFit with some of the military guys she worked around. She learned that hard work and taking care of herself can produce incredible results, things she never knew she was capable of. I always thought that a competitive, Games-caliber CrossFitter always came from a huge sports background, such as a gymnast in college or professional football player. Christmas isn’t that, she’s the girl next door who realized what hard work can do when you put your mind to something. She’s the perfect example of how anyone can succeed in CrossFit.

When she told us about how she ran her first mile as an adult in Iraq and couldn’t walk for a week, I felt like it was just yesterday when I started CrossFit and couldn’t even run 400 meters without stopping to walk. Christmas, much like CrossFit itself, makes you feel like you can move mountains (or run miles).

You’re not a true CrossFitter until you do handstands everywhere you go. Christmas was SUCH a great sport! I’m a huge fan.

After we met with Christmas, we watched the competition in awe as the elite athletes made incredibly hard movements like muscle-ups seem like a stroll in the park. All of the Regionals athletes have dedicated their lives to being the best in their field and it showed with the ease in which they moved incredibly heavy weights and effortlessly walked hundreds of feet on their hands.

However, the most special moment to me was not when the first athlete completed a workout in record time, but when the last athlete was finishing. I saw it time and time again throughout the weekend. In heats of 10-12, when the athletes finished the grueling work out, they all huddled around the remaining athlete(s) and cheered them on instead of drinking water, laying on the floor and catching their breath. Genuinely cheered them on. Giving them coaching tips and those precious words of encouragement that allowed the athlete to finish that last strict handstand push up or muscle up. I had a lump in my throat more than once during the weekend watching the incredible show of support for fellow competitors by the athletes. The heart of CrossFit athletes is what makes the community so incredibly special. I’m proud to be a part of it, especially after witnessing the camaraderie at the Reebok CrossFit Games Northeast Regionals last weekend.

Did you attend a CrossFit Regionals event this year? Any plans to buy the new Nano 4.0s? I love to hear from my fellow CrossFitters!

No one left behind.

[ctt tweet=”The heart of CrossFit athletes is what makes the community so incredibly special. http://ctt.ec/HdX0d+” coverup=”HdX0d”]

For more information on the CrossFit Games, check out games.crossfit.com and don’t miss the final competition July 25-27th in Carson, CA. If you aren’t local, you can watch the events live on your computer!

Comments

What an awesome experience!!! I’m sightly jealous!! 😉 It was great to watch Keidy from the live link, just an inspirational weekend…the athletes were incredible!! Never mind that you also got to meet Christmas Abbot!! That is just coconut icing on a paleo cake!!!

Welcome to Baby Gators Den

Hi there, are you wondering what is a Baby Gators Den? It's a blog I started in 2009 when I had my first child. I'm a UF Gator Alum, hence the name. I'm Joanna, a mom, wife, business owner, and occasional blogger. Thanks for stopping by!